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January 07, 2009 06:00 AM
Wild Bill Hickok
On this Day: Wild Bill Hickok Duels Davis Tutt
July 21, 2008 12:10 AM
On July 21, 1865, Wild Bill Hickok shot Davis Tutt in a duel in Springfield, Miss. The event became known as the first real shootout in Old West.
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On July 20, 1865, Wild Bill Hickok played cards at the Old South Hotel in Springfield, Miss., and Davis Tutt watched and provided for Hickok’s opponents. Once friends, the two had become enemies for reasons still debated.
In the course of the game, Tutt demanded payment for a previous unsettled debt of $35. Wild Bill remembered his obligation being only $25 and refused to pay the sum. Upon hearing this, Tutt snatched Hickok’s pocketwatch from the table and claimed it as collateral. Hickok warned Tutt not to wear the watch.
The next day, Tutt appeared in the town square with the watch.
Hickok, with his gun drawn, reportedly called out, "Dave, don't you come across here with that watch." Tutt drew his gun. Both fired so close together that spectators did not know who shot first.
Hickok’s shot Tutt in the heart, killing him within seconds. Tutt’s shot missed.
Within days, Hickok was arrested for murder. The jury acquitted him on grounds of self-defense.
Two years later, Harper’s Monthly magazine published an article that wildly exaggerated Wild Bill’s exploits, and helped establish him as a legendary gunfighter.
The shooting likely contributed to the legendary association of quick-draw shootouts with the Old West. In reality, such duels were rare, and lacked a historical basis.
Hickok was gunned down nine years later while playing cards. When he was shot in the back of the head, he had pairs of aces and eights. The hand has since become known as “Dead Man’s Hand.”
In the course of the game, Tutt demanded payment for a previous unsettled debt of $35. Wild Bill remembered his obligation being only $25 and refused to pay the sum. Upon hearing this, Tutt snatched Hickok’s pocketwatch from the table and claimed it as collateral. Hickok warned Tutt not to wear the watch.
The next day, Tutt appeared in the town square with the watch.
Hickok, with his gun drawn, reportedly called out, "Dave, don't you come across here with that watch." Tutt drew his gun. Both fired so close together that spectators did not know who shot first.
Hickok’s shot Tutt in the heart, killing him within seconds. Tutt’s shot missed.
Within days, Hickok was arrested for murder. The jury acquitted him on grounds of self-defense.
Two years later, Harper’s Monthly magazine published an article that wildly exaggerated Wild Bill’s exploits, and helped establish him as a legendary gunfighter.
The shooting likely contributed to the legendary association of quick-draw shootouts with the Old West. In reality, such duels were rare, and lacked a historical basis.
Hickok was gunned down nine years later while playing cards. When he was shot in the back of the head, he had pairs of aces and eights. The hand has since become known as “Dead Man’s Hand.”
Headline Link: ‘Slap Leather: Legal Culture, Wild Bill Hickok, and the Gun Slinger Myth’
“In the entire history of the Wild West, the closest thing to an actual ‘slap leather’ gunfight may have been the showdown between Wild Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt in Springfield, Missouri, on July 21, 1865,” according to The University of Texas School of Law Web site, which describes the Hickok-Tutt shootout and explains the western gunslinger’s current status as a dominant cultural figure. The description of the event begins on page 1550.
Source: The University of Texas School of Law
Key Players: Wild Bill Hickok
Legends of America offers a comprehensive look at the life of Wild Bill Hickok: “Bill's parents also operated a station along the Underground Railroad, where they smuggled slaves out of the South. It was during this time that the lean and wiry young man got his first taste of hostile gunfire when he and his father were chased by law officers who suspected them of carrying more than just hay in their wagon.”
Source: Legends of America
Background: Hickok’s rise to fame
Hickok first gained fame after the “McCanles Massacre.” Though details of the fight are still debated today, Legends of America presents a description of the event and its aftermath: “Later, when Hickok's fame began to spread, he told an entirely different version of the tale, making McCanles out to be a ruthless killer and an outlaw, who was the leader of a vicious gang who were terrorizing the region.”
Source: Legends of America
Later Developments: ‘Poker’s First Legend’
The hand that Wild Bill was dealt the day he was killed—black aces and eights, with the fifth card unknown—has become known as ‘Dead Man’s Hand.’ Pokernews.com writes that Wild Bill was “far more than a poker player.”
Source: PokerNews
Historical Context: The American West
FindingDulcinea’s Web Guide to U.S. history presents an in-depth look at the American West, including information about the essential elements in the settlement of the West, such as the transcontinental railroad, the fur trade, immigrants, and the Gold Rush.
Source: findingDulcinea
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